Right Path’s Reach

According to UNICEF, most children in Uganda have experienced physical violence that threatens and halts their holistic and positive development, 59% of girls and 68 % of boys.

Gender-Based Violence and sexual violence are also prevalent, with some 35 % of girls and 17 % of boys have experienced sexual violence during childhood while 1 in 4 teenage girls are either pregnant or have a child.

Busoga Region

It comprises 11 districts which include Bugiri, Bugweri, Buyende, Iganga, Jinja, Kaliro, Kamuli, Luuka, Mayuge, Namayingo, and Namutumba. All of them contribute to poor social services and socioeconomic outcomes compared to the other regions in Uganda.

The region is surrounded by large water bodies, Lake Kyoga in the north and L. Victoria in the south. The water bodies make it a unique habitat for many folk communities known to be highly vulnerable and marginalized. They also live in poor hygiene conditions which negatively affects their lives because of some of the toughest situations they go through.

It’s also a national hotbed of sugarcane plantations and factories with many unskilled migrant workers with high turnover rates. As a result of the above factors, the region has widespread GBV; 46.3% of women report physical violence, yet children, adolescent girls, and young women are the most affected.

There are high levels of poverty with over 42% of the population living below the poverty line (about $1.9/day; the third-highest in Uganda), with pockets of severe food insecurity.

Teenage pregnancy

The region also has a high teenage pregnancy rate of 25% compared to the 24% national average. Subsequently, the regional fertility rate is higher than the national average at 6.9 children per woman. Other burdens in the region include poverty, unemployment, food insecurity, poor ECD facilities, high maternal mortality, unqualified ECD caregivers, inadequate menstrual hygiene management service providers, malnutrition, poor WASH facilities, etc.

The most affected subpopulations due to the above challenges are children, adolescents, and women. Hence, their morbidity and mortality rates are higher compared to the adult population. Therefore, there is a need for Right Path to prioritize and focus on improving access to quality social services (health, nutrition, education, and psychosocial support) using a multi-sectoral and collaborative approach. This clearly defines our theory of change i.e. in creating positive change in under-resourced settings in some of the toughest situations.